How to spot choppy markets in seconds
Dec 07, 2025 3:31 am
Dear ,
Let’s talk about something every trader has struggled with at some point.
sideways, choppy markets.
You know that feeling.
The market is not going anywhere,
Your SL keeps getting hit,
And every trade looks like a trap.
Most losses happen here
not because your strategy is wrong,
But because you entered at the wrong time.
So today, I want to give you a very simple way to avoid this.
What exactly is a sideways market?
A market that:
- moves up a little,
- down a little,
- again up a little.
Basically, it is confusing.
Sideways means no clear direction,
and when there’s no direction,
There’s no profit in forcing trades.
How to identify sideways markets
- Candles become small and choppy
Lots of wicks.
No clean bodies.
No strong moves.
- Price keeps touching the same zone again and again
Support & Resistance & Support & Resistance
like a ping-pong ball.
- The market keeps moving inside a small box
If you draw a rectangle around the highs and lows,
Price just sits inside it.
This is your signal to stay out.
The rule to follow:
If the chart doesn’t move, you shouldn’t move either.
Simple.
Sideways markets are designed to trap impatient traders.
How to avoid getting trapped
- Trade only when the structure is clear
Look for HH–HL (uptrend) or LH–LL (downtrend).
If the structure is mixed, skip.
- Wait for a real breakout
Not a small candle.
Not a wick.
A proper breakout with momentum.
- Enter only on retest
This one step will save you from 80% of false moves.
- Look for a clean candle body
Avoid trades during:
- tiny candles
- confusing wicks
- overlapping ranges
These are classic trap zones.
A small tip from my own experience
Whenever the market is quiet,
I remind myself:
“If the market is not giving, don’t force it.”
A trader’s job is not to trade every day.
A trader’s job is to trade when the market is ready.
Practice today (Sunday)
Open any chart and mark:
- last trending phase
- last sideways phase
Look at how different they feel.
Just observing this for 5 minutes
will make you more selective and patient.
Tomorrow (Day 9),
I’ll take you into something important:
How to place a stop-loss smartly
So you’re not getting hit again and again.
This will help you keep more profits and cut fewer SLs.
With Love & Respect,
Samir